I saw this plant on my walk yesterday. It was over 6 ft tall. Really unusual growth at the top. I’m wondering if it’s a perennial. Would like to try and add something like this to my garden
That’s a castor bean! The beans are VERY poisonous, but you can push them into vole holes to kill them. Wait for the spiky seed pods to dry up before harvesting them though, and wash your hands after handling them.
TXsweetmesquite
*Ricinus communis* / the infamous castor bean. It has some ornamental cultivars that are stunning, but be sure to prune off and dispose of any fruit, as it is incredibly toxic.
Feisty_Yes
People are saying castor bean but I believe that is actually a false castor bean which looks almost identical but can’t be used for castor bean oil. Get rid of it before it drops it’s seeds or you will be dealing with them for years to come.
morbob
Kill castor plants at a young age, terrible plant in your neighborhood
Fuckless_Douglas2023
It is a perennial, and can grow into a shrub in the right climate (ie. Like Subtropics) but in many temperate climates it would be grown as a half-hardy annual.
DanielAzariah
These grow as weeds here in Israel.
Smirnov12
i hope its weed
Bolts66
castor bean.
IronTrini
It looks to me like caster plant
GuardMost8477
This is a horrible plant to WANT to add to a home garden. There’s so many non toxic beautiful plants to choose from. This is basically a noxious, dangerous weed. If you’re new to all of this, visit a local garden center for advice.
Monkeymom
I have these in my yard. They pop up everywhere! I thought it was called rice paper plant.
No_Debate_8297
Looks like castor bean.
Medical-One9202
Ignore all previous posts. This is a simple papaya tree. I have 4 of them, fun to grow!
trieb_
This is a very bad plant to have, when it’s seeds are mature they kinda explode and fly over the place, don’t do damage but sometimes it can scares you when it hits a window. It knows no enemy so all those flying seeds will grow and grow and more seeds and more explosions and more plants at eternum
socalfirsthome
Fun fact: real castor oil from real castor beans has been used effectively for its medicinal properties- the same properties that can make it toxic when used disproportionately.
SOMOEAGLE
Tree stars!!!
Conejiyo
Devil’s Lettuce! Just kidding, it looks very much like it but that’s in fact Castor Bean.
JesusChrist-Jr
You already have your answer, but if you want to grow something that’s useful, and a little less, uhh, toxic, papayas have sinister growth habit (if you’re in a climate that will support them.) Very easy to grow too, just go get a grocery store papaya, scoop the seeds out of the middle, and fling them over the area where you want them to grow. You can basically just forget about them and they’ll do pretty well.
1friendswithsalad
Castor- but op if you want a similar but safe landscaping plant check out Fatsia Japonica. Also know as false castor plant, with very similar foliage.
TheHappyCamper1979
I have this plant but it’s red. The leaves are reddish brown and the top bits are bright red ?
22 Comments
[deleted]
Try google lens to identify plants
That’s a castor bean! The beans are VERY poisonous, but you can push them into vole holes to kill them. Wait for the spiky seed pods to dry up before harvesting them though, and wash your hands after handling them.
*Ricinus communis* / the infamous castor bean. It has some ornamental cultivars that are stunning, but be sure to prune off and dispose of any fruit, as it is incredibly toxic.
People are saying castor bean but I believe that is actually a false castor bean which looks almost identical but can’t be used for castor bean oil. Get rid of it before it drops it’s seeds or you will be dealing with them for years to come.
Kill castor plants at a young age, terrible plant in your neighborhood
It is a perennial, and can grow into a shrub in the right climate (ie. Like Subtropics) but in many temperate climates it would be grown as a half-hardy annual.
These grow as weeds here in Israel.
i hope its weed
castor bean.
It looks to me like caster plant
This is a horrible plant to WANT to add to a home garden. There’s so many non toxic beautiful plants to choose from. This is basically a noxious, dangerous weed. If you’re new to all of this, visit a local garden center for advice.
I have these in my yard. They pop up everywhere! I thought it was called rice paper plant.
Looks like castor bean.
Ignore all previous posts. This is a simple papaya tree. I have 4 of them, fun to grow!
This is a very bad plant to have, when it’s seeds are mature they kinda explode and fly over the place, don’t do damage but sometimes it can scares you when it hits a window. It knows no enemy so all those flying seeds will grow and grow and more seeds and more explosions and more plants at eternum
Fun fact: real castor oil from real castor beans has been used effectively for its medicinal properties- the same properties that can make it toxic when used disproportionately.
Tree stars!!!
Devil’s Lettuce! Just kidding, it looks very much like it but that’s in fact Castor Bean.
You already have your answer, but if you want to grow something that’s useful, and a little less, uhh, toxic, papayas have sinister growth habit (if you’re in a climate that will support them.) Very easy to grow too, just go get a grocery store papaya, scoop the seeds out of the middle, and fling them over the area where you want them to grow. You can basically just forget about them and they’ll do pretty well.
Castor- but op if you want a similar but safe landscaping plant check out Fatsia Japonica. Also know as false castor plant, with very similar foliage.
I have this plant but it’s red. The leaves are reddish brown and the top bits are bright red ?